SilenX Effizio 80mm and 140mm Fan Review

Introduction:

Case fans can make or break a build when it comes to running a home theater PC or even a rig you just want to be quiet. Water cooling or not, fans are a necessity in keeping your components from overheating. To avoid the annoying buzz of some fans, SilenX had developed a couple of fans for those of you who want to be on the down low, especially if your mom told you to go to bed already. The biggest connotation with silent fans is that they tend to, pardon me, suck. Quiet fans usually tend to move little air to keep their quiet tag. However, the market is changing and engineers are finally figuring out the secret to moving the same amount of air while remaining quiet and affordable.

So where do these offerings from SilenX stand in the battlefield of fans, are they full of flow and stealthy? Let's find out. Today we will take a look at the SilenX EFFIZIO 80mm Temperature Controlled Thermistor Edition as well as the SilenX EFFIZIO 140mm silent fan, both featuring ultra-durable fluid dynamic bearings.

Closer Look:

Both fans came in a typical clam shell plastic packaging with a green and yellow backing for the 80mm and 140mm fan respectively. The larger 140mm package sports their three main features of the fan in 3 different languages, while the 80mm reads the same three in English with the added introduction of the automatic temperature fan control. Both feature optimized blade geometry, fluid dynamic bearings, and vibration dampening mounts.

The edges of the packaging were not sealed/melted shut, so opening them didn’t require any scissors or sharp objects, a major plus there. The screws and silicone mounting pieces came sealed in a small zip bag that prevented them from dumping all over the floor when the package was opened. 4 standard fan screws and 5 silicone mounting pieces were included (I am assuming an extra in case you break one). A well folded, full-color instruction guide was packaged neatly against the fan and around the screws.

A close up of each fan shows the vibrant yellow color of the 140mm and the classic white blades on the 80mm fan. A sneak peak preview on SilenX’s media site shows a possibility of both a red and clear version of the fan in the 80mm size, but no hints as to any other colors for the 140mm fan. So for those of you who like to run quiet and color coordinate, beggars can’t be choosers.

Inside the case the fans are a little difficult to mount if you already have all your components set up. So replacing a current fan is tricky, but far from impossible. The silicone mounts that replace the use of your typical fan screws are quite cleaver in nature, but they did provide 5 for a reason though! Pull too hard and you won’t have an extra silicon mount anymore…oops! This feature made the fan easy to install considering you didn’t have to thread the fan yourself and it holds the fan in place just the same. Perhaps it will also add to the silence of the case.